The NSW Department of Planning and Environment will be in Chatswood Mall from Monday, February 4, to meet and talk with residents during Willoughby Council's inaugural Golden Market – a shopping bazaar offering unique items and keepsakes in theme with the Lunar New Year.
The Department's team will also visit Darling Harbour as the waterfront community comes alive for the City of Sydney's Lunar New Year Festival, in the Year of the Pig.
Acting Deputy Secretary, Planning and Design, Brett Whitworth, said the Department was keen to hear from the community about a range of planning issues including the revised draft precinct plan for Rhodes which is currently on public exhibition.
"The most recent Census in 2016 showed the top ancestry for Rhodes was Chinese with 5,846 people, or 49.4 per cent of the total population of City of Canada Bay," Mr Whitworth said.
"We want to ensure everyone in the community has the opportunity to engage with the planning process, so we've made the draft Rhodes plan available online in simplified Chinese.
"Community input and local character are such important factors in the Department's decision making so it's vital we engage with multicultural communities, along with the broader community, during one of Sydney's favourite festivals."
In NSW, almost half a million people were born in countries that officially celebrate the Lunar New Year, including China and Vietnam. Of those, over 40,000 were born in the Year of the Pig.
Department staff will be at both locations to explain what the Department does and to talk through local planning issues and recent changes relevant to locals, including new planning rules to boost Sydney's night-time economy.
And in the Lunar New Year spirit of giving, staff will give out free water bottles and seed packets, along with Department factsheets translated into community languages.
The Department will be in Chatswood Mall from February 4-6 between 10am-5pm, and Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, on February 14-17 from 10am-5pm.
